Day 14, April 15th: We spent the day in Taormina which is a city on the east coast of the island of Sicily, with a population of 11,000. Taormina dominates two grand, sweeping bays below and on the southern side, the top of Mount Etna, the European highest active volcano. It was capped with snow for our visit. It has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. It is also where many scenes of the White Lotus, season two were shot.
We toured the Teatro Antico di Taormina, an ancient Greco-Roman theater still used today. Workers were setting up a stage while we were there.
We could see Mt. Etna as seen through the Teatro ruins.
There are beautiful sandy beaches and wisteria growing along the walkways. So fragrant!
We stopped by a pistachio shop and learned how they are grown near Mt. Etna and had a few snacks.
We hiked up to the Sanctuary of the Madonna Della Rocca which is a church built into the rock of this hill, designated by the cross. The path/steps to the top were challenging but so worth it for the view.
We took a photo with Taormina in the background.
There are numerous switch backs and the passages in Taormina that we took to climb to the church.
Peter grabbed a great shot of two interesting ladies on the main street enjoying their coffee.
Back in Catania we were treated to a Sicilian musician who entertained us with original music he learned from shepherds outside of Catania. He told us that his squeezebox is the most modern instrument that he plays.